Movies I want to see when I get back to Madison:
Bubba Ho-Tep (recommended by Liz and finally at the Orpheum)
Bad Santa
The Station Agent (recommended by my friend's mother as "the best movie she's seen in five years")
21 Grams
If anyone wants to see any/all of the above, let me know!

I'm here in my new "home" of Maryland for the first time. Very odd seeing all of my old furniture in a totally new setting. I also left my coat in O'Hare during a rushed layover after we had to rebook our entire flight due to a hydrolics problem on the plane in Madison. Good excuse to buy a new coat.

The show last night rocked, as always. Annie and I showed up at the Stage Door an hour early due to a misstatement by Ted of the Heavenly States on the Saturday interview (the proof is in the recording!); we also were confused as to how exactly to GET to the Stage Door and showed up behind the bar. Oops. DPC gave out a promo cd, and upon listening to it on the plane today, I must say it is quite good and I have high expectations for the upcoming full-length. Other free gifts included a Vox Humana EP and Vox Humana/Colony of Watts 7-inch which I haven't listened to yet, but also have high expectations for. The Heavenly States, battling poor sound and a drunken (yet HI-larious) Ted, still managed to provide a good time, and they played some new stuff that had me excited for what they'll bring us next. Heavenly States at Party in the Park 2004? Let's make it happen.

Confidential to Annie: Bee-hay on the Gladio.

I had the best dream last night. I was at this tiny club/bar in Milwaukee (?) when suddenly, we got word that the Dismemberment Plan was going to be doing a special show at this club that night. We hung out with them before the show, but unfortunately I moved on to the next dream before they actually got to play. Then I dreamt that Rockey and I were superheroes who had to fight to the death, and Rockey was about to beat me before I woke up.

Speaking of the D-Plan, I'd like to give props to Pitchfork for giving Emergency and I an honorable spot on their re-issued top 100 of the 90s. Though I'm definitely questioning some of the other albums they did and didn't include.

Holy mother of God, do I hate this company.

Oh Rockey, those pictures are priceless. Art Paul's attire is spectacular. Hopefully I'll get some good pics tomorrow of the Heavenly States and of Ian's last show with the DPC, and perhaps of Vox Humana, since word on the street is they are a very attractive band.

New PFFR Visual Entertainment in the "Pictures" section and in the "Performers and Hosts" section. Enjoy and have a happy Thanksgiving! I am off to Chicagoland tomorrow.

Get this everyone- for the first time EVER, WSUM is now on 24/7 programming! Those lucky new trainees have picked up the rockin' 3-6 AM slots. Now automated programming is a thing of the past, and of holidays.

Alright, I spent about an hour at work transcribing the interview, and it is up. Oh god, was it even funnier the second time around. Everyone at the lab must have thought I was a freak listening to headphones and laughing to myself. I wish I could put the recording up on the website. The written form just doesn't quite capture Ted's delivery in all of its glory.

Our stellar interview with Ted, the singer of the Heavenly States, has been recorded and I'm going to transcribe it today or tomorrow. Look for it to be up on the review/interview page soon and on either Tinymixtapes or in the Emmie, depending on which one of those I decide to submit it to.

It's pretty damn funny.

This song is dedicated to Becky on her pretend birthday:

Dead Cat, by the Midwest Product

Memorial Day, he visits the graves
Of no one he knows, to find the unsaved
Despite his presence, and manicured plants
The cat was alone, where did it come from?

Interview with Ted from the Heavenly States was absolutely HILARIOUS. Ted rulez my world. Everyone go check them out with the DPC and Vox Humana at the Orpheum Stage Door this Wednesday at 9.

Tomorrow night on the Perfect Face for Radio: An exclusive phone interview with Heavenly States lead singer, Ted Nesseth! Tune in between 6-8 PM to hear what Ted and the band has been up to. Then show up next Wednesday at the Orpheum Stage Door to see them headline, with Vox Humana and the Driftless Pony Club opening. While you're there, pick up a copy of the DPC's promo and get a taste of their upcoming full-length album, which will be fabulous, I'm sure. After that, feel free to cry, as it will be DPC bassist Ian's last show.

Last night we partied it up with the Dean of the Business School at Wandos. At one point, when surrounded by 4 female accounting (MAcc) students, he called himself "The MAcc Daddy." Oh my.

Meanwhile, it's supposed to be 65 today!

Last night I saw Guided by Voices. With 15+ albums and all their side projects, it's almost pointless to have the one song you want to hear. But I did . . . and holy shit, they played it, a one-in-a-thousand chance, they played Game of Pricks. And it was absolutely beautiful, everything I hoped it would be and more. My $17 ticket was worth every penny just to hear them play that song.

Speaking of Death Cab, there's a decent interview with the bassist in the Badger Herald today. Also, one of the characters in the Daily Cardinal comic On Campus is wearing a Shins shirt. I want to meet whoever draws that strip.

soooo...it SNOWED in portland today. like big time snow. we're talking maybe two inches. everyone was freaking out. i want to sue. i was promised that it "hardly ever snows" in portland. two inches are two too many. anyways, i get to see death cab tomorrow. also, northfolk and western is playing on saturday...should i go?
sidenote: i have become a true northwesterner...i now drink (starbucks) coffee! yikes!
good luck bringing single frame to madison, nicole! that would rock out something else. and what's the deal with the flaming lips show?

Alright, Single Frame has been approved by the Union Music Committee for February 27 . . . now they just need to accept my (reduced) offer and we'll have a show . . . keep your fingers crossed!

How much does this suck- I got contacted by the booking agents for both John Vanderslice and for the upcoming French Kicks/Walkmen tour about playing at the Union, and they both want to come over spring break. Booooooooo.

So today in class our professor told us we all got our first choice projects, to which I exclaimed "Huzzah!" Everyone looked at me like I was a big freak, and the professor was like, "what was that Nicole?" No one in the business school understands me.

Cool event coming up this Thursday at the Annex: The Isthmus Band to Band Combat finals featuring Jimmy's Comet and the Dorothy Heralds. Go vote.

"Dear Nicole:

Thank you for visiting our office and providing us with the opportunity to further discuss possible professional opportunities with our Firm.

We believe that your credentials are strong and that you have great potential. Unfortunately, this has been a year where the large number of outstanding candidates has vastly exceeded the number of openings within our Firm. It becomes impossible, therefore, to offer positions to all the fine candidates we see. After much deliberation, it is with sincere regret that we are unable to offer you a position at this time.

The interest you have expressed in PricewaterhouseCoopers is greatly appreciated. We would like to take this opportunity to wish you success in the pursuit of your professional goals.

Sincerely,
PricewaterhouseCoopers"

There is talk of a potential free Flaming Lips show on the Kohl Center lawn in late April, stay tuned . . .

Move here, for a good time.
and i completely agree...

Hole songs would be good, Courtney Love can't sing worth crap, but it works somehow. If you want pure screaming, check out the Locust. Also check out their song titles, such as "Priest with the Sexually Transmitted Disease, Get out of my Bed" and "Who Wants a Dose of the Clap?"

BOOOOOOOOO Pedro the Lion was sold out tonight. He has clearly outgrown the Catacombs.

And I am soooooo jealous.

But I did see a fantastic show last night as well, as the Shins were absolutely wonderful and the House of Blues is an excellent venue with great sound. Kissing the Lipless almost had me in tears it was so great. Then we saw this cool DJ from Berlin named Ellen Allien at the Bottom Lounge, which was pretty sweet. Now I'm going to go pass out in bed.

ZONKS!
i just saw one insanely superb show: stars and the broken social scene. we're talking a solid FOUR hours of music here...that's a lot of music. the stars were definitely more rockin than their cd, heart. one of my friends thought there were too many love songs. i told her not to listen to the cd, then. broken social scene was utterly fantastic. they played stars and sons, one of my all time most favorite songs. i am so content right now...

Uf Da! I'm winded, but the show was a hit. Catastrophe free and all. Two fans called in and made some great requests too. Should be time for a nap but instead I'm going out to celebrate.

Woooohooooo! Off to see the Shins. This show is going to be great, I can feel it.

Good luck Rockey!

If you're interested in winning free tickets to Eric Idle's (of Monty Python fame) show at the Barrymore this Tuesday, call in to the show tomorrow. Just one more thing for Rockey to do. All by himself.

T-minus 27 hours and counting until Rockey's big solo debut! Please, call in a request and make him feel special. Also make him feel overwhelmed as he takes your call, tries to find your request, input songs into two playlists, and run the boards all by himself.

The Emmie's top 20 albums of 2003 have been decided and will be revealed in the next issue, which should be out by the first week of December at the latest. Luckily for me, the majority of my top picks were maintained, including a fight to the bitter end for Single Frame's Wetheads Come Running (actually, it wasn't that bitter, I was just the only one who'd really heard the album). Meanwhile, the Tinymixtapes top 20 albums of 2003 are in the process of being chosen, with the winners being revealed slowly over several days in December.

Speaking of Single Frame, I plan on presenting the band to the Union Music Committee this Wednesday to try to get them booked for Union South on Feb. 27. Feel free to email the committee (music@union.wisc.edu) to tell them how much you think they should get Single Frame to come play in Madison. You don't know me though.

Further investigation has revealed that today's TMT news was done like that on purpose by the craaaaaaaazy editors. If anyone was able to figure out how Karen O is "imlintliunag," please let me know.

Wooohoooo, headlining news story on tinymixtapes! Except right now it's all messed up, for some unknown reason. Hopefully this will be remedied soon. Until then, see if you can figure out what was actually trying to be said.

Actually, my mom already does read the blog. I swore once on it, which she reprimanded me on, but otherwise I've never said anything on here I wouldn't want my parents to read.

Everyone listen up and support Rockey in his first attempt to host the radio show on his own. Just remember: fill out the program log correctly or feel the rage of A-Ron, and make sure you input everything on the playlist under "Nicole and DJ Lazer" or feel the wrath of the other Nicole.

Meanwhile, what a small world. My partner for a group project here is the girlfriend of Paul from Mabel. Who knew?

I think Nicole definitely knows how Kevin feels.

I hope everyone is getting excited for my solo radio DJ debut this Saturday at 6:00PM. Boy, I am.

Either my first exam was a huge joke, or I completely missed something. It was a massively grand total of three pages, and I finished it in 20 minutes.

The first official Party in the Park website is now up and running! There isn't really anything on it yet, but keep checking back to see how things are shaping up. We're currently checking out what bands are available to play, and some big names are coming up- stay tuned!

White Stripes tonight! Woooohoooo! Screw the fact that I have two exams and an 8:00 class tomorrow morning.

On Campus, my favorite comic strip in the Daily Cardinal, was absolutely hilarious today. I think I'm going to email the artist. The stupid online edition doesn't have the comics up for me to post a link, so pick up a copy if you can. The punchline: "Howard Dean- He's Kinda Like Radiohead."

Meanwhile, I'm really excited about the fact that I put two stacks of Emmie's in Grainger assuming no one would take them, but there are only three left in the bin now! Maybe there are people in the business school that have good taste in music, and they're just hiding from me.

Just got back from the Birdland, TV on the Radio, Aspera, I Am the World Trade Center show. I'll probably post a review tomorrow instead of studying for my two exams, but here's a super-brief rundown:
Birdland- Totally intense; one man on an electric organ and a woman with these deep, throaty vocals. I thought they were really cool. Ever see that part in Mulholland Drive where the woman is singing in the theater, but not really singing? That's sort of what the vocals sounded like.
TV on the Radio- Clearly drew the biggest crowd, due to the enormous amount of buzz that has been going on around their recent EP, Young Liars. Definitely lived up to that buzz, as they totally rocked the house (even though they were experiencing some frustrating sound problems), and I can't wait for their full-length album that comes out in March. Also, the first (mostly) black indie rock band I've ever seen, which was very interesting. Poser Julia made it a point of getting the singer to call one of her friends on her cell phone in yet another attempt to look cool by association with bands.
Aspera- Sort of boring, mild electronic-indie. I sat outside for most of it, so I don't have too much to say.
I Am the World Trade Center- Most people had left after TV on the Radio, but they missed out. IATWTC were awesome- one male and one female, purely electronic dance music while she sang and he backed up with some robot vocals. Totally danceable and fun, and they were really cute people.
Overall: really good stuff!

For all the pop fans out there, Pitchfork has spoken: Kylie rules; Britnney Drools

Lots of great concerts going on this weekend:
Friday, November 7: Damien Jurado w/ Rosie Thomas and Saxon Shore at the Catacombs Coffeehouse
Friday, November 7: Quasi w/ Aden and the Shivers at Luther's Blues
Saturday, November 8: I Am the World Trade Center w/ TV on the Radio, Birdland and Aspera at Union South/Club 770
Saturday, November 8: Paper Airplane Pilots w/ the German Art Students at the Crystal Corner Bar

I'll be at the I Am the World Trade Center show on Saturday learning how to "cover" for the WUD Music Committee. I think it will be a neat show, TV on the Radio are supposed to be absolutely awesome. Feel free to join me!

I just got the new Guided by Voices "Best of" compilation, Human Amusement at Hourly Rates, for free so I can review it for the Emmie. If anyone has ever wanted to get into GBV but didn't know where to start because they just have too much music (15 albums and counting), just get this album. It's fantastic, because its just the best songs off of each album (well, 32 of them to be exact). All neatly packaged in one convenient album.

Also look in the next Emmie for my contribution to a feature article, a point/counterpoint: Friendster Rules/Friendster sucks. If you have any strong opinions about Friendster (preferably if you think it rules), please let me know.

One other thing I forgot to mention- Marilyn Manson is interested in coming to speak at Madison. As in, a Distinguished Lecture Series. This could actually happen if there is enough interest (and I think there will be enough interest).

This next semester is going to be huge for cool music stuff coming to Madison. I just got out of the Union Music Committee meeting, and we discussed some bands that have potential to be booked next semester, including:
Enon/ the Wrens (The new Wrens album is FABULOUS, check it out)
Single Frame (They wrote me back and want to play in February! I could potentially book a band by myself! If their price isn't too imposing)
The Books (apparently they have only played one live show EVER, as they are a sample-based electronic band- but they said they are "working on their live show")
I highly suggest checking out the albums of any of those bands, most of which recently put out albums in the past month.

Then for WSUM's Party in the Park, we're looking at having a "Party in the Dark" afterwards, with record label showcases at different venues around Madison that night. How cool would that be?

In the meantime, I have barely studied for my two exams coming up. I'm glad I know where my priorities are.

Boo

Thanks Jen! Huzzah! Chutes too Narrow is in my room for your listening pleasure, I hope it fills you with as much glee as it does for me.

I've gone insane and joined a men's soccer league. No kidding, I'm the only girl. Every Tuesday night, come see me get my ass kicked by sweaty boys at the KEVA indoor fields in Madison, good times!

Last night I had a dream consisting of an ex-boyfriend, Andrew Kenny of the American Analog Set, and the television reality show Average Joe. I'll say no more.

Actually Maggie, ITunes is causing me to forgo my Tuesday night to upload the album covers to my library. I'm in the middle of "D" right now. Yeah that's me, geeking it out . . .

oh, yeah! new shins cd rocks. i recommend people taking nicole up on her offer to see them in concert. it was one of the best concerts i'd ever seen!

I can't stop listening to the new Shins album. It just fills me with such joy! Apparently, I'm not the only one, as it was the highest-ever one week sales for Sub Pop with 15,600! And they made it to 86 on the Billboard 100! And to think, if I hadn't purchased it, they'd only have sold 15,599 copies. Come to see the Shins with me November 15 in Chicago- I have room in my car! (Probably because I'll be the only one in it)

Confidential to Rockey- What's YOUR major?
According to the SSION non-radio edits, the baby's major is "Fuck"
hmmmmmm . . .

Huzzah for two nights in a row going to bed at 4:00 AM! This will not be a regular practice, now; we'll leave it at a Halloween exception.

I've got a role model and costume too.

Crazy times last night, that's for sure. I haven't gone to bed at 4:00 AM in quite a long time.

I just downloaded ITunes for Windows, how cool is that?!??! There are so many neat features, I think I'm going to stop caring about school altogether so I can get my music in order.